Imagine a Better World with Tree Blocks

With more and more families becoming ecologically aware and moving toward sustainable living, wooden toys are experiencing a renaissance. Toy cars, trains, and dolls made of wood, as well as good old fashioned wooden blocks are making a comeback in a variety of interesting styles and designs.

While this is great news, its important to remember that while wooden products are generally healthier for kids than mass-produced plastics, they aren’t always as good for the planet as people might assume. Many of the wood products widely available today are made using unsustainable forestry practices, like clearcutting. When a forest is clearcut, all the trees and vegetation are destroyed, leaving a barren area and harming the ecosystem. When harvesters do take steps to replenish the cut trees, they often put an end to the biodiversity of the forest, planting only one variety of tree, often in neat rows to make future harvesting more convenient.

Environmentalists advocate for changes in the forestry industry that allow for less clearcutting, less wasted wood, and more bio-diverse replanting. Forested areas can be gleaned in small batches according to a cycle, allowing time for regrowth. Companies can replant varied types of trees to allow biodiversity to be restored. Products can be made from wood scraps left over from paper production or from branches pruned from fruit and nut trees.

Karl Oppen, founder of Tree Blocks, is a business owner who has put some of these responsible forestry practices to work in his company. After overseeing factories in Europe and Vietnam, and becoming familiar with the high demands those locations place on the forestry industry, Oppen opened his first U.S. factory in Wisconsin. The off-the-grid operation uses sustainable forestry, reclaimed wood, and off-cut wood to create a fun and unique line of toys. These bare-bones cars, trains, toy furniture sets and toy tree houses invite kids to let their imaginations run wild.

Most of the colors come from the natural variation found in wood, or from non-toxic plant-based paints. The natural pattern of the high-quality maple, ash and walnut wood grain is still apparent in many of the toys, and the natural food-grade wax finish adds sheen but doesn’t detract from the beauty or safety of the product. Thanks to Tree Blocks’ durability, kids can enjoy many years of play from these toys, and parents can rest assured that their purchase is an ethical one that will have a long-lasting positive impact on our world.

To learn more, visit www.treeblocks.com